Catalunya Grand Prix debrief with Hirohide Hamashima Round 5: Catalunya GP Post-race debrief Catalunya Circuit, Tuesday 7 June 2011 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Medium, Hard. Rear (asymmetric): Medium, Hard The Catalunya Grand Prix was affected by rain in one way or other all weekend. First practice on Friday was cut short by eight minutes by rainfall, and the afternoon session was also hit by precipitation mid-way through losing the MotoGP riders a lot of track time. Both the free practice and qualifying on Saturday were run in the dry, but overnight rain left the track dirty and slippery. Heavy rain on Saturday night left the circuit soaked and Sunday morning warm-up was run on wet tyres and made the circuit grip level worse, and finally rainclouds threatened the race at mid-distance with drops making the last few turns greasy. Marco Simoncelli secured his first pole but it was not to be his race as Honda’s Casey Stoner dominated from the second lap, followed by Yamaha teammates Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies. Hirohide Hamashima Assistant to Director, Motorsport Tyre Development Division Why did you choose different rear slick tyre options for Catalunya this year? “Catalunya is a circuit with high tyre wear and it generates very high temperature in the right shoulders, particularly in the rear tyres because of the long and fast turn three and the last three corners. Because of this, for the last two years we have brought our extra hard compound rear slicks and performance has been good, but looking at last year’s race most riders chose the softer option rear for the race even though the track temperature reached 55 degrees Celsius because Catalunya is quite low grip as we have seen this year. “We listened carefully to the comments of the riders and analysed all the available data and it was apparent that the extra hard compound actually was not needed in terms of durability and riders favoured the grip of the hard compound. So this year we decided to go one step softer with our allocation, choosing the medium and hard compounds so offer riders a softer rear option that would provide a grip advantage and aid with warm-up performance. “Looking at tyre performance and choices this weekend, aided of course by the lower temperature and the fact that the circuit was more slippery, I am pleased that we revised our tyre options. The medium compound was a popular choice all weekend and in the race, and although Casey won and set the fastest lap on the hard compound rear, as did Andrea in fourth, Jorge, Ben and Valentino finished second, third and fifth respectively using medium rears.” Why was the grip level of the circuit lower this year and what can you say about track condition? “I believe it is the case that in general the circuit was more slippery this weekend, and many riders felt the same too. I think its general condition of the tarmac is a little worse than last year so this is one point. Also, and perhaps most importantly, the rain meant that the circuit never really had the chance to properly clean during the weekend. Every time it rained, particularly so heavily on Saturday night, the circuit was made dirty again and this leads to it being much more slippery. So at the start of the race the track was already dirty but dry, and when rain drops fell during the race and the riders were on slicks of course it made it very slippery and tricky for them, leading to comments about not having enough grip. Despite the conditions, the total race time was three seconds faster than last year though.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Team Suzuki rider Brodie Waters has leapfrogged from fourth to second overall in the Australian Supersport Championship after two consistent rides at the fourth round of the series at Queensland Raceway on Sunday. Nineteen-year-old Waters, who was having his maiden race outing on the new 2011 Team Suzuki GSX-R600, finished fifth overall with 31 points after two hard-fought 17-lap races, both of which were won by experienced international Kevin Curtain. The Team Suzuki pilot now lies 21 points off the lead in the Australian Supersport Championship with one round remaining to be held at Phillip Island in November. “To come here this weekend with a brand new bike for the first time was a new experience for me,” said Waters. “The new 2011 Suzuki GSX-R600 was great straight out of the box, but we needed just a bit more track time and set-up time to get it dialled-in for the races.” Although Waters just missed an overall podium position in the Supersport class at the Queensland round by five points, elder brother Josh kept the family name in lights with a third place overall in the Superbike class on his Team Suzuki GSX-R1000. Waters, the 2009 Australian Superbike Champion, finished a close second in race one just 2.423sec behind race winner Jamie Stauffer, then backed up with fifth in race two for a tally of 36pts and third overall. Stauffer won both 17-lap races at Queensland’s fifth round to take the weekend’s overall honours from Glenn Allerton, the latter holding on to his series lead with three rounds remaining. As testimony to the pace at the front of the pack, Stauffer set a new Superbike lap record of 1:09.125 in the opening race with Waters recording the second fastest time of 1:09.259. Both riders’ times were well below the V8 Supercar lap record for the 3.12km Ipswich circuit, with the new Superbike record 1.4646 sec under the V8 Supercar record set in 2010 by then Jim Beam Racing Ford driver James Courtney on his way to the 2010 Championship. Josh Waters had an additional challenge to contend with at Queensland Raceway, having only arrived back in Australia on Thursday from his ride with Team Yoshimura Suzuki at the US round of the Superbike World Championship the weekend prior. Waters’ Team Suzuki team mate Troy Herfoss finished sixth overall from fifth and seventh placings and now lies equal on points with Ben Attard in the battle for third in the Championship. The duo is just 10 points adrift of second-placed Stauffer, with Superbike rookie Herfoss showing he had the pace to run with the front-runners before a couple of minor errors dropped him from podium contention. Herfoss, the 2010 Australian Supersport Champion, recorded a fastest lap of 1:09.600 in race two, fractionally quicker than his more experienced team mate’s 1:09.652 in the same race. Team Mack Trucks Suzuki rider Robbie Bugden finished eighth overall after a crash in race two ended his podium charge following a sixth place in race one. The three-time New Zealand Superbike champion remounted to salvage 10th place after frustration at being pushed wide on the opening lap caused him to push a little too hard. With Superbike privateer Ben Henry finishing 10th overall for the round on his Cube Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000, Suzuki GSX-R1000s hold four positions in the top 10 on the points table. The Australian Superbike Championship returns to the Ipswich circuit on August 19-21st where round six will run as a support category alongside the V8 Supercars. Phil Tainton – Team Manager: “It’s been a challenging weekend for the riders and the team, so to come out with a Superbike podium for Josh and a jump by Brodie from fourth to second on the Supersport championship points table is a positive outcome, especially in view of how competitive both classes are now. “It was a tough weekend for Brodie in Supersport as we weren’t able to do much testing of the new 2011 GSX-R600 before this meeting. The recent tragedy in Japan delayed the race parts we were waiting on, so set-up time has been limited. But I’m confident this new GSX-R600 will be a winner – it’s got a lot of improvements over the 2010 model. “Getting Superbikes set up to handle the bumps at Queensland Raceway is a challenge in itself. Although the weekend’s results weren’t what we were after, we’re in good shape for when we come back here in August for the next Superbike round.” Brodie Waters: “To come here this weekend with a brand new bike for the first time was a new experience for me. The new 2011 bike was great straight out of the box, but we needed just a bit more time to dial it in for this track. “To move from fourth to second in the championship is a good result given some of the difficulties this weekend. I’d like to be closer to Kevin Curtain than 21 points, but there’s 51 points up for grabs at the final round and Phillip Island is a track I like.” Josh Waters: “I was happy with my qualifying and second in the first race was a good result as the pace was pretty hot. Jamie Stauffer was on fire in that one and I just couldn’t close the gap. “I can’t thank Team Suzuki enough for not only giving me the opportunity to race overseas but for working so hard across the weekend to get me feeling comfortable on my Aussie-spec GSX-R1000. It took me a while to adapt to the different bike, different tyres and a totally different type of circuit layout after coming back from the US. I was confident I’d get faster as the weekend progressed and that’s the way it worked out right up until the last race. I was confident of fighting for the win in race two after pushing Jamie so hard in race one, but it wasn’t to be. I just couldn’t get into a rhythm.” Troy Herfoss: “I felt I had the pace to run with the front guys this weekend and I was happy with my lap times – 1:09.6 in both races. Unfortunately I made a couple of little mistakes and you can’t afford to do that at this level. “In race two I missed a couple of gear shifts and that made me run wide. It’s something I’ll be working on before we come back here in August for the next round.” Robbie Budgen: “Not the sort of meeting I was hoping for. Friday practice and Saturday qualifying went well and I was confident we had the pace this weekend. I was getting off Turn Two real good and the bike was fast down the back straight as a result. “I got a good start in race two but then got pushed wide in Turn Two. I guess I was a little impatient and trying to make up ground too quickly when I lost the front at Turn Three. I’m looking forward to coming back to Queensland Raceway for the next round as I know we’ve got good pace.” Superbike Overall Results – Round 5: 1 Jamie Stauffer; 2 Glenn Allerton; 3 Josh Waters (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 4 Wayne Maxwell; 5 Ben Attard; 6 Troy Herfoss (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 7 Craig Coxhell; 8 Robbie Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000); 9 Cole Odendaal; 10 Ben Henry (Suzuki GSX-R1000). Superbike Championship Points (after 5 of 8 rounds): 1 Glenn Allerton 226pts; 2 Jamie Stauffer 170; 3eq Troy Herfoss (Suzuki GSX-R1000), Ben Attard 160; 5 Craig Coxhell 151; 6 Wayne Maxwell 136; 7 Josh Waters (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 124; 8 Cole Odendaal 123; 9 Robbie Bugden (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 116; 10 Ben Henry (Suzuki GSX-R1000) 98. Supersport Overall Results – Round 4: 1 Kevin Curtain; 2 Brendan Clarke; 3 Rick Olson; 4 Aaron Gobert; 5 Brodie Waters (Suzuki GSX-R600); 6 Nicholas Waters (Suzuki GSX-R600); 7 Chris Quinn; 8 Glenn Scott; 9 Christan Casella; 10 Andy Lawson. Supersport Championship Points (after 4 of 5 rounds): 1 Kevin Curtain 155pts; 2 Brodie Waters (Suzuki GSX-R600) 134; 3 Christan Casella 132; 4 Aaron Gobert 131; 5 Rick Olson 125; 6 Mitchell Carr 120; 7 Nicholas Waters (Suzuki GSX-R600) 97; 8 Andy Lawson 93; 9 Chris Quinn 85; 10 Glenn Scott 75. More, from a press release issued by Michael Jordan Motorsports: ROGER LEE HAYDEN AND BEN BOSTROM GET CLOSER TO THE FRONT OF THE PACK FOR MICHAEL JORDAN MOTORSPORTS AT ROAD AMERICA ELKHART LAKE, WI (June 6, 2011) The Michael Jordan Motorsports (MJM) team of Roger Lee Hayden and Ben Bostrom put their Suzuki GSX-R1000s closer to the front of the pack during the 2011 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship event at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The team pulled together to help put the riders nearer to the front during a beautiful weekend of competition at the famous four-mile track. National Guard Jordan Suzuki rider Roger Lee Hayden jetted away from his second row starting position in Saturday’s race and ran as high as fourth before an issue slowed his pace and he finished in sixth. On Sunday, Hayden got cut off at the start but ran some of the fastest laps of the race to finish a competitive fifth place. Hayden moves up to seventh in the championship points race heading into the next round. “The weekend started out a bit rough,” Hayden said. “We had some issues on Friday, and we stayed late that night and made a lot of changes to the bike, and Saturday was so much better. In (Saturday) qualifying, I cut a second and a half off. I got a pretty good start, but after a couple of laps, a problem crept up and I had a few issues. My pace slowed down a little bit, but I could tell with the chassis changes and some electronics changes, we were headed in the right direction. In the second race, my start wasn’t that great. I got pinched off right out of the gate, but after that, I settled in and got a good rhythm and ran some good laps. I could see the leaders for the whole race, so that was good. Now, I believe my National Guard Jordan Suzuki team can see light at the end of the tunnel and I’m really looking forward to Barber. It’s a track I like and it’s close to home, so a lot of people from my town will be there. I can’t wait to keep going and keep improving.” Jordan Suzuki’s Ben Bostrom started on the second row next to teammate Hayden but was unable to run the same pace in Saturday’s race, finishing seventh. On Sunday, Bostrom got a good start to run as high as fifth, but technical issues forced him to settle for 10th place at the end. Bostrom moves down to sixth place in the championship. “It was a tough weekend for me,” explained Bostrom. “On the positive side, Roger’s bike worked great and it showed the Jordan Suzuki team’s true potential. It was nice to see, so expect the number 23 and 54 Suzukis up at the front come Barber. I am a terrible quitter and I always look forward to throwing a leg over my steed.” The Michael Jordan Motorsports team’s next event of the 2011 AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Championship series is at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, AL on June 17-19, 2011. More, from a press release issued by Celtic Racing/Fast by Ferracci: Jacobsen Earns Second Podium At Road America Nyack, New York: PJ Jacobsen, riding his Celtic Racing Fast By Ferracci Ducati 848, earned the second AMA Pro podium of his young racing career. Jacobsen arrived at the Subway Superbike Doubleheader in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin armed with confidence and momentum, and plenty of Italian horsepower. The young New York rider was a consistent front-runner throughout the weekend. Jacobsen qualified on the front row with a time of 2.20.83, and was just a few tenths of a second off the lead time. “Qualifying went pretty well. Our set up was spot on from when we first hit the track, and I just tried getting a little faster every time out. But the bike was really good for me. We put on soft tires and I just went for it. I could have done 20’s all day with our set up. When the session was over, I wasn’t on pole, but I knew that I was on the pace,” said Jacobsen. As soon as the green flag dropped for Saturday’s race, it was all business. Saturday’s race was fast and furious, and the Daytona Sportbike class again delivered some of the best racing of the weekend. Jacobsen ended up 3rd overall, and was once again standing on the podium for the second time in his young career. “Saturday’s race was pretty good. Jason got the start, and I pretty much followed him until he crashed, which you never like to see. I was doing high 20’s and felt really good. Toward the end, I came up on a lapped rider, and got held up. This allowed the lead pack to get around me. In one lap I was back to 6th place, and then had to work really hard to get back up to the box in short time,” said Jacobsen. When the checkered flag flew, young PJ was just barely over a second out of the lead. Jacobsen also earned one point for leading the most amount of laps during the race. Sunday’s race would again see Jacobsen running up front, and leading the event before a restart. “Warm-up went great. I was the fastest one out there. In the race, I got a good start and was leading, but then we had a restart. I got another holeshot on the restart, and was leading again. It was a good race. But it was a bummer to have some mechanical problems – but, that’s racing, and they can happen.” “Everytime I go out now, I just want to win. I now feel that I have the confidence and speed to do so, and I am looking forward to it. I am taking that confidence to the next round – and I think Ferracci is ready to win one as well!” Eraldo Ferracci was clear on the weekends results: “The first race PJ showed his talent and rode like a true champion. Three laps from the end, the exhaust pipe broke, and then PJ was slowed up by the lapper, so we struggled with that. But then, in the next race, he was ready to win, and so was I. But, three laps from the end, we had some problems. We go home now and figure out what happened, and go to Barber with the confidence knowing that hopefully we can get our first win of the season.” Jacobsen and the entire Celtic Racing Fast By Ferracci Team will now turn their focus to round five of the AMA Pro Series, the Barber Superbike Classic, held in Birmingham, Alabama, on Fathers Day weekend. For more information, including pictures from the parking lot pit stop testing, please visit the team’s website at www.celticracing.com or “like” us on Facebook at Facebook.com/celticracing. Celtic Racing Fast By Ferracci is sponsored by Freedom Road Financial, ARMA Energy Snax, Millennium Technologies, Battery Tender, Siamsa Irish Pub, Terterboro R.A.M.S., Associated Building Services, Olde Village Inne, Design Star 3, Orient Express, Revit!, K-Tech, Yoyodyne, Spectro, Armour Bodies, PitBull, K&N, Galfer, Dyno Jet, Irish Bike Magazine, Motion Pro, DID Racing and Maverick Moto Media. More, from a press release issued by Yamaha Motor Corp,. U.S.A.: With Race Wins & Points Leads As Proof, Road America Becomes “Rode Yamaha” Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin In a near-perfect display of motorsports dominance, the Yamaha road racing teams had a weekend to remember at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. In Daytona SportBike competition, Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha rider Josh Herrin did the double, winning both the Saturday and Sunday race in dramatic fashion, which followed up his win at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, to make it three Daytona SportBike wins in a row for Herrin and his Number 8 Yamaha YZF-R6®. Herrin showed his immense talent and racecraft in his win at Miller, and those same qualities were on display at the historic 4.048-mile Road America. He kept himself consistently in the lead pack throughout both races, waiting for the right moments to safely and dramatically make his move to the front. The long front straight across start-finish gave Herrin the room to show the top-speed prowess of his R6, while the bike’s razor-sharp handling worked to his advantage. With the two wins, Herrin has now taken over the season points lead in Daytona SportBike. Not to be outdone by his teammate’s weekend success, Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha rider Josh Hayes, who is the defending champion in American SuperBike, is leading the points chase in SuperBike again this year, and he had another sterling performance at Road America aboard his crossplane-crankshaft YZF-R1®. Capturing his fourth pole position in as many events, Hayes has made it a clean sweep of pole-position bonus points thus far this season. A rider who clearly knows that consistency at the front is critical to winning a championship, Hayes battled hard in Saturday’s race and finished a hard-fought second. Then, he came back on Sunday and ran a perfect race, leading all but one lap and pulling a gap of nearly three-and-a-half seconds over the rest of the field at one point in the race. Special credit for Sunday’s win goes to Hayes’ entire Monster Energy/Graves/Yamaha crew, which includes former Wisconsinites Jim Roach and Steve Rounds. Said Roach, “It’s always awesome to get a win, but for Steve and I, Josh’s win here in Wisconsin is that much more special.” The Yamaha Extended Service/Pat Clark Motorsports/Graves/Yamaha team also had an excellent weekend in Elkhart Lake, with American SuperBike rider Chris Clark scoring two top-ten finishes on his YZF-R1. And, in Daytona SportBike competition, R6 rider Tommy Aquino battled with the lead pack in both Saturday’s and Sunday’s races, where he finished fifth and fourth, respectively. In AMA Pro Racing’s SuperSport class, Team LTD Racing Yamaha R6 rider and current championship points leader David Gaviria led from start to finish in Saturday’s race. Sunday’s SuperSport race was won by another Yamaha R6 rider, Travis Wyman, who scored his first AMA Pro Racing victory in his very first SuperSport race. Gaviria’s LTD Racing teammate Tomas Puerta finished third. The Yamaha road racing teams are poised to build on their Road America success. According to Keith McCarty, Manager for Yamaha’s Racing Division, “We’re really looking forward to the next event in two weeks at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Alabama. We’ve got an exciting group of riders on our teams, and they really put on a great show for the fans.” More, from a press release issued by Josh Bennett on behalf of Latus Motors Racing Powered by RSRacecraft: Dominguez Podiums with Latus Motors Racing in AMA Pro SuperSport at Road America Dustin Dominguez finishes second the first time he rides the team’s Daytona 675R Elkhart Lake, WI Dustin Dominguez debuted the new Latus Motors Racing Triumph Daytona 675R with a strong second place finish in Sunday’s AMA Pro Racing SuperSport round at Road America. This was the first weekend that Dustin threw a leg over the bike. “The Latus Motors Racing Triumph Daytona 675R powered by RSRacecraft is the best handling bike I’ve ever ridden,” said Dominguez. “What’s even more amazing is that it’s a stock bike and I never even sat on the seat until that Friday. I can’t thank George, Ronnie and everyone at Latus Motors Racing and RSRacecraft for this opportunity.” Dustin began the weekend by qualifying ninth for Saturday’s race en route to a sixth place finish. For Sunday’s race, Dustin started ninth and battled a number of competitors en route to his second place podium finish. “I knew we had a great package with Dustin and the Daytona 675R, but a second place finish at Road America in both Dustin’s and the bike’s first event with the team is incredible,” said George Latus. “We’re really looking forward to the next SuperSport race at Barber Motorsports Park in June.” Dominguez, of Muskogee, Oklahoma, is currently ranked third in the AMA Pro SuperSport East riding standings. The team plans to enter every remaining round of the season. More, from a press release issued by Öhlins USA: Öhlins USA Congratulates its Teams and Riders in the AMA Pro Road Racing Series: Round-4 Round-Up Hendersonville, North Carolina: Because performance isn’t by accident, charm or good looks, Öhlins USA is taking the opportunity to congratulate its teams for managing the perseverance and technical excellence it takes to be competitive, and to get to the top of the podium. After four racing events and six-to-seven races per class in the AMA Pro Road Racing championship, racebikes with Öhlins suspension have set the pace of the AMA American SuperBike and Daytona SportBike Pro classes, winning a total of 12 of the 13 races in these classes combined, and leading each championship. Championships aside, Öhlins’ technical support and suspension technology is for racers earning any grid position from the front row to the last row, and for riders of any sportbike. Öhlins prides itself on its progression of technology from Grand Prix stars to privateer racers. Öhlins USA congratulates every racer in every class for taking the challenge of racing, and wants to make sure that all Öhlins racers know that our technicians John Cornwell, Brad Stokes, Eric Knight, and Matthew Hickson are at each event to provide technical assistance. Six of the seven AMA American SuperBike races in 2011 have been won by bikes with Öhlins shocks and fork kits on two different brands of motorcycles. To the credit of every team using Öhlins suspension products, they know and respect a real economy; happily choosing components that lead to winning. Öhlins equipped motorcycles have also led the most laps of every AMA SuperBike race in 2011, and earned every pole position. This same technology is available for the benefit of every regional racer and sportbike enthusiast, regardless of their level of ability. In Daytona SportBike, every race this year has been won by motorcycles sporting Öhlins suspension on both ends, and on bikes of two different brands. Öhlins also now has shocks for nearly all twin-shock Harley-Davidsons, and is the suspension of choice for the XR1200 Media Bike, campaigned by guest riders and motorcycle journalists. The media bike was transformed by Öhlins at the Big M Weekend at Miller Motorsports Park. With these championship leaders, a first win in NHRA drag racing, multiple wins in Late Model Dirt, the standard of MotoGP and World Superbike, and the founding of Team Öhlins USA MX team, it’s been a busy month for us. We plan on being busier next month. Check us out on facebook.com. Öhlins USA distributes and services the world’s leading performance suspension for automobiles, motorcycles, ATVs, and snowmobiles. Öhlins develops its proprietary and innovative suspension components at the highest levels of racing from open-wheel car racing, to Moto GP, to off-road competition on two and four wheels. Öhlins USA also provides training for service centers and dealers. www.Ohlinsusa.com. More, from a press release issued by Team Iron Horse BMW/ESP: Chris Peris of Team Iron Horse BMW/ESP (Tucson, AZ) puts the BMW S1000RR on the front row of the grid for the first time at the Subway SuperBike Doubleheader of AMA Pro National Guard Superbike Round at Road America Back to back rounds of AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike racing left Team Iron Horse BMW/ESP repairing crash damage on Chris Peris’ #8 BMW S1000RR machine from Miller Motorsports Park in their assigned pit at Road America Raceway. With not enough time to head back to Tucson, Arizona to work on the bikes, the team spent the 24 hours of drive-time from Salt Lake City, Utah to Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin brainstorming the perfect plan for racing redemption. With an early arrival and a solid game plan, set-up went smooth, the work on the bikes went as expected and qualifying one left the team in a solid 6th position on the race grid. The rebuilt and improved bike, along with the thoughtfully implemented changes were working well and the team was feeling strong. After a day of data from solid, productive track time and lots of analysis, Team Iron Horse BMW/ESP fine tuned the suspension set-up and were ready for qualifying two … very ready! For the first time in over 35 years and the very first time for the S1000RR, the BMW qualified on the front row of an AMA Pro SuperBike race, beating off Martin Cardenas to take their position in line with Josh Hayes, Blake Young and Tommy Hayden. Team Iron Horse BMW/ESP and Chris Peris were on a high as their very hard working, talented and committed privateer efforts paid off in results. That afternoon, as the gates opened to the hot pit and the fans flooded in for a very busy fan walk between final qualifying and race one, there was amazing excitement shared between the team and the fans. Energy and spirits were running high! With a 4:00pm start time, the team was anxious to race. Being on the front row had a spectacular vantage and the team was proud and confident. As the race was about to begin, a red flag was thrown, leading to an extended screaming, revving grid in danger of overheating, and potentially to the problem that Peris faced not far from the start line. Without even one lap completed, the Iron Horse BMW/ESP S1000RR pulled off the track with the haunting clutch problem leading to an unacceptable and devastating DNF. With heads hung only briefly, and gratefulness for the second round of the doubleheader, the team once again focused on trying to anticipate the data gained by all the other riders that saw the checkered which inevitably would increase the pace of race two. A new day and a new chance left Sunday optimistic. Practice was steady and found the small improvements desired by the adjustments made. For a second time the team pulled up to the front row and was focused on a solid and exciting race. They got what they wish for as the battle and attention turned to a pack of BMWs along with Ben Bostrom and Roger Hayden. Every lap showed the results of both relentless determination and hopeful drafting as their was never ending changes in positioning. Team Iron Horse BMW/ESP’s rider, Chris Peris rode wide in turn five of lap one and then fought to reclaim their time and position. The end of the race showed the fight and spirit of the team to hang on and finish ahead as the lap times showed Peris getting as fast as high 2:12s at the end of the 13 laps of 4.04 miles per lap. It was not the weekend all together that Team Iron Horse BMW/ESP wanted in finishes, but it was an amazing weekend of qualifyings and a tremendous amount of settled development and tuning of the S1000RR for the next round at Barber. The support from sponsors and fans elevates this team and keeps them moving forward. Follow them on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/TeamIronHorseBMW and/or contact their Race Manager, Jennifer Cartwright for any information of sponsorship opportunities. Evan Steel, Crew Chief: “Well we had another roller coaster weekend, starting out with our teams second and the S1000RR’s first front row qualifying effort in AMA Superbike, but unfortunately ending in disappointing race results. The highs and lows certainly need to be smoothed out into consistency and that will be our focus moving forward. We are a young as well as underfunded team, both of which leads to inconsistency, but we must overcome that to get the race results we want. We absolutely cannot give up 13 laps at race pace in the proper track conditions to our competition. The first race was much slower than the second one, at least in part due to the other teams learning and making improvements for race two. We didn’t give ourselves that opportunity and had a decent but not great race two. At this level of competition any mistakes made are harshly obvious due to the high level of the teams around us. We are proud to be up racing amongst teams like M4 and Jordan Suzuki, but bitterly disappointed as well with our race results from this weekend as a whole.” Jennifer Cartwright, Race Manager: “As a team, we continue to grow and learn and see very striking signs of our current potential and the results ahead. We are proud of the endless hard work we commit to each other, the sport of Road Racing and to our amazing fans. Our sponsors have made this dream into a possibility, but the budget still makes us struggle to breath freely and focus undistracted on the task at hand. We are always looking for solid sponsors for individual rounds or the remainder of the season. We try hard on the track as well as off of the track to be ambassadors of our Team, BMW, Road Racing and our fantastic sponsors. Because of our ultimate dedication, we are making significant, yet difficult changes to our program that will change our race results from Barber through Fontana. Bring on the racing!” This would not be possible without the support of all our amazing sponsors: BMW North America, Iron Horse Motorcycles, Peris Riding School, E-MotoTires.com, Ohlins, Kyle Racing, GPR, Driven, Hotbodies, USMegaMax.com, Carrozzeria, TGP Racing, XCEL Trackdays, On The Level (OTL), RunGP, HT Moto, KurveyGirl.com, Speedcell, Topline Printing, Inc, BMW Motorcycle Magazine, Shoei, XpedX Team Iron Horse BMW/ESP is still actively looking for sponsorship. All inquiries contact Jennifer Cartwright: (+1) 520 271 1596 or email: [email protected] Iron Horse BMW Iron Horse BMW is Arizona’s premier BMW dealer, located in Tucson, Arizona. Iron Horse is dedicated to providing their customers with the best possible ownership experience. The staff are passionate and avid motorcyclists from motocross to roadracing and everything in between. They have the experience and ability to help riders get the most out of their motorcycles. To make your dream of S1000RR ownership a reality, contact Iron Horse at (+1) 520 327 0773 or www.ironhorsemotorcycles.com Evan Steel Performance Evan Steel Performance is a small, personal, specialized shop located in Tucson, Arizona that deals with all aspects of motorcycle road racing. ESP bikes have had some of the highest trap speeds in their classes at AMA Nationals, as well as the highest top speed at start/finish at the 50th annual Macau Grand Prix. In 2009, ESP clinched the Supersport East title with numerous victories. In 2008, ESP scored a very rare privateer podium at the VIR AMA National in the Superstock class with Chris Peris. ESP is open to any level of racing, from basic race prep to planning a season at the Nationals. ESP can be reached at (520) 294 3050 or www.evansteelperformance.com More, from a press release issued by Autolite RIM Racing: Autolite RIM Racing is on the gas in Wisconsin Autolite RIM Racing’s Mike Morgan was on the gas entering into round 4 at Road America. Starting off the year right where he left off 2010 and finishing both races in the top 20. Race 1 came down to pure man power to cross the finish line. Race 2 saw Mike get a fantastic starts on all 3 restarts of the race gaining valuable positions and avoiding some turn 2 incidents. Mike Morgan: “It was an amazing weekend for me running both the Daytona Sportbike and the Vance&Hines XR1200 classes. I have to thank my family, sponsors, friends, the fans, and all the great riders that I get to race with on these weekends. I need to thank Autolite RIM Racing and their crew for all the hard work that has gone into the last few years, and all the friends that just lend a helping hand or share ideas to help us get to where we are. This year we are fielding another great team and is one of the strongest I have ever been a part of. It may not sound like much, but when you finish one of these races in the top 20 you have done a good days work. We finished 19th on Saturday and gave up one position on the last lap due to a fuel miscalculation. But I was able to push the bike the last 25 yards across the finish line! It was great hearing all the fans and pit lane crews cheering me on to finish the race! Both races were a ton of fun and Sunday was a real barn burner. Battling with a Ducati rider most of the race was great fun and good hard racing which is what you always want. I was able to capture 15th place on the last lap in part to the Race Tech suspension and the EBC Brakes being flawless. What a great start to the season on the Autolite RIM Racing Suzuki GSX-R600″. RIM Racing is sponsored by Autolite spark plugs, Fram oil filters, Motul oil, Barnett clutches, Yoshimura R&D, EBC brake pads, D.I.D chains, World Wide Bearings, Kenwood, NEXX helmets, Race Tech suspension, Superior Body Works, TCX boots, SRP Graphics, Vortex components, Zola acai drinks, Advanced Auto Parts, Bazzaz electronics, Pilot leathers, Held gloves, Hotbodies, Lockhart Phillips Catch Autolite RIM Racing at Barber Motorsports Park for round 5 of the AMA Pro Daytona Sportbike series. For more on Autolite and RIM Racing’s Mike Morgan please visit www.mikemorganracing.com More, from a press release issued by Vesrah Racing: CORY WEST CONTINUES HIS CONSISTENT FINISHES WITH A 5TH PLACE IN THE SUBWAY SUPERBIKE DOUBLEHEADER DAYTONA SPORTBIKE RACE 2. Vesrah Suzuki’s Cory West continued turning in consistent top finishes with a 5th place in the AMA Pro Racing Daytona Sportbike Race 2 at Road America in Elkhart Lake WI. Cory remains in 2nd place in the 2011 Daytona Sportbike championship, a spot that he has held since the start of the season. Taylor Knapp suffered a DNF on the first lap and has now slipped to 11th place in the 2011 Daytona Sportbike championship. Corey Alexander also had an unfortunate day with 2 crashes during the AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com SuperSport race 2. Corey still remains in 3rd place in the SuperSport West Championship Point Standings. Mark Junge Team Owner Vesrah Suzuki “After such a great showing on Saturday with all of the team riders finishing 6th or better and Cory on the podium, It is disappointing to have 2 DNFs on Sunday. Cory finishing 5th and keeping 2nd place in the point standings was great. I’m glad to be home after the long West Coast swing and ready to get to Barber Motorsports Park in 2 weeks.” Cory West Vesrah Suzuki #57 “Once we got thru all the restarts and the race was going, everything felt great. My start was good and I was comfortably in the lead group. I managed to get to the lead a few times and felt very calm and collected while I was in front. There were a lot of people dive-bombing the corners today so I tried to just ease into the corners and concentrate on my drive out. With 2 laps to go I got sucked into turn 5 and had nowhere to go but wide and that shuffled me to the back of the pack. I pushed as hard as I could and regained 5th position on the last lap but made a few mistakes and barely missed out on finishing 4th. I’m disappointed that I made the mistake in turn 5 because that was the turning point in my race, but another top 5 finish is good for the points battle. My Vesrah Suzuki GSX-R 600 ran flawless all weekend and I have to thank my Crew Chief Tony Pogue, and the rest of the crew for that. We’ll keep working hard and come back stronger at Barber!” Taylor Knapp Vesrah Suzuki #44 “Sunday morning warm up went pretty good and we ended the session 4th fastest. We tried a few changes to the bike that felt better in a few places on the track were we struggled on Saturdays race so I felt good and confidant going into the race. Unfortunately I didn’t make it past the first lap do to a mechanical with the bike so once again I’m going to leave the negative behind and move on to the next round.” Corey Alexander Vesrah Suzuki #5 “After yesterday I knew we were capable of winning if we were at the front. Unfortunately I had a bad start but my Vesrah Suzuki felt really good and I made my way back up to the lead pack. The pace seemed to have slowed up so I wanted to get to the front and try and make a move to get away. Sadly, I made a rookie mistake and instead of being patient went for a pass into the chicane but tucked the front. Fortunately the two points-leaders also crashed so it’s still tight. I’d just like to say thanks to everyone at Vesrah and my mechanics Barry and Tim, the bike was great.” Vesrah Suzuki wants to thank all of their sponsors for their support for the 2011 season Vesrah, American Suzuki, Rockstar Energy Drink, Nielsen Enterprises Suzuki, Penske Racing Shocks, Traxxion Dynamics Fork Components, Yoshimura, Catalyst Racing Composites, Sudco Int., Bazzaz, Factory Pro, Maxima Racing Oils, Vortex, DID Chain, GPR Stabilizers, Trek Bicycles, GP Tech, Active, Pilot, Suzuka Tire Warmers, Pit Bull & Road Rage Designs More, from a press release issued by i-Style Natural Aprilia Racing Team: Strong home round for the i-Style Natural Aprilia Racing Team at Queensland Raceway i-Style Natural Aprilia Racing Team rider Ben Attard remains in third position in the 2011 QBE ASBK title chase following a strong ride in race 2 of the team’s home round at Queensland Raceway, held over the weekend 3-5 June. The weekend started in spectacular fashion with Ben and the i-Style Natural Aprilia topping the timesheets in the opening practice session on Friday morning, Ben went on to another strong performance in the afternoon and was only bettered by .025 of a second in the second practice session by tearaway championship leader Glenn Allerton. The team worked hard making small changes to the RSV-4 Factory to try to improve the already impressive speed on the locally prepared motorcycle. These small changes were constantly being made by Team Technicians Brian and Skip under direction of Team Technical Director Warren Willing and Team Principal Steve Trinder, and allowed Ben to finish regulation qualifying only .3 of a second from the fastest time of the combined sessions. Once again Ben qualified the one lap QBE Superpole shootout that would determine the final grid positions for the top eight. A brilliant lap – under the immense pressure of putting it all on the line – saw Ben and the Aprilia get to within .13 of a second of his fastest lap of the weekend, and secure third place on the front row of the grid. Race one was run at lap record shattering pace, the existing benchmark lowered on lap two by former Champion and eventual race winner – Jamie Stauffer that set the pace for the race. Ben got the Aprilia off the line well but was swamped by the ultra-aggressive pack on the brakes into the bumpy turn one and was shuffled back to seventh position. The pace was on at the front, Ben moved up to sixth on lap two, but was relegated on lap seven by reining Australian Supersport Champion and fellow Superbike rookie – Troy Herfoss on the Factory Suzuki. Race two was the best race of the day. Ben put in a spirited ride in front of the local fans, setting the fastest lap of the race – at that stage – on the second lap, only .3 of a second off the new lap record set in race one. A string of laps at similar pace ensured Ben and the i-Style Aprilia were in the fighting lead pack for the entire 17 lap race, eventually finishing fourth, 4.5 seconds from dual race winner Stauffer. Once again, good consistent rides in a quality field – over the two races – resulted good points for the championship and Ben remains in third position. Finishing in fourth for the round was a good result but the team are keen to improve at the next round of the QBE Australian Superbike Championship, to be held at the same venue in conjunction with the V8 Supercar Championship in August. “We were right up there in practice and qualifying, race one didn’t really go according to plan. Normally I’m a good starter but I just got swamped a bit and didn’t get the best run in, to be fair I had seventeen laps to get it back and didn’t so I was not real happy with myself after that” reflected Ben after the weekend. “Race two I was a lot more aggressive into turn one, I didn’t want to get caught out and it was pretty hairy in that race, but I put in everything I had and we got a better result. We did our quickest lap of the weekend in the second race and were a lot more consistent. I’m disappointed not to be on the podium but at least we finished on a high”. i-Style Natural Aprilia Racing Team Team Principal Steve Trinder feels the team is on the cusp of a deserving – but so far elusive race win, “We had the pace this weekend, but that field is all quality pretty much all former or current Australian or International Champions. I’m happy with how we went but I really feel we are ready for that race win. The bike has got the speed and the team is working brilliantly now we just need a little bit of luck to go our way and it will be our time”. The i-Style Natural Aprilia Racing team’s assault on the 2011 QBE ASBK would not be possible without the continued, ongoing support of their sponsors, Motul, RST Leathers, Alpinestars, RK Chain, Goodridge, Sportsbike, Monza Imports & Archers Paint & Panel who have all been long time supporters of the team. 2011 QBE Australian Superbike Championship Series Points: 1 G Allerton (BMW) 226, 2 J Stauffer (Honda) 170, =3 B Attard (i-Style Natural Aprilia) 160, =3 T Herfoss (Suzuki) 160, 5 C Coxhell (Honda) 151, 6 W Maxwell (Honda) 136. More, from a press release issued by Jason DiSalvo’s publicist: Jason DiSalvo, the Daytona Sportbike championship leader after three races, showed his continued domination of the class at the beginning of the AMA Pro Road Racing Series event at Road America, setting the fastest times in the practice and qualifying sessions leading up to the Daytona Sportbike class races. Earning pole position for the weekend’s races, DiSalvo rode his Team Latus Motors Racing Ducati 848 to a blistering time that was over a full second faster than any rider from row two back. This pole position earned DiSalvo a bonus point for the championship, which may eventually turn out to be worth every thousandth of a second he carved from it. Although the rain at Road America held off until Monday for most riders, dark weather befell DiSalvo on Saturday and Sunday, as he exited each race in a too fast flurry. On Saturday he checked out while leading and on Sunday he grassed it from his second-place running position. Each time the zealous nature of a winner got the best of DiSalvo. About his weekend DiSalvo said, “If it were easy, it wouldn’t be as much fun. In racing the lows are what make the highs so high. My team is there for me and as soon as I get back on the bike I’ll be there again for them. Barber suits my style. I know what that track looks like with no other bike in sight. I’ve won there before and I’m ready to do it again. These Team Latus guys are the best; I owe it to them.” Not the more timid for tumbling, DiSalvo is resting up for his dash back to the points lead, starting with the next race in less than two weeks at Barber Motorsports Park. There DiSalvo will be ready to ride, to race, to again start first and to first finish.